


Voltron: Defenders of Legend (Voltron Character Swap)

by frickingnerd



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Recreation, Roleswap, Spoilers, characterswap, man i suck at tags, voltronswap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-04-21 13:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14286360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frickingnerd/pseuds/frickingnerd
Summary: Follow the adventures of the Paladins of Voltron who must learn to work together to form the giant robot Voltron and use it to defeat the evil Galra Empire. But it's not the way you remember it...





	1. The Rise of Voltron (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> I’m going to be honest here, I never expected to actually put this on page, but here I am, unable to keep myself from writing this down any longer. This is what happens when you spend too much time on pinterest instead of actually writing on your original work. But that’s beside the point. So, what’s going on, exactly?  
> Voltron is popular, so naturally the idea of swapping and switching around the characters is popular. I’ve seen it done a lot of times and always have had my own ideas of how to do this in my head. Some things I’ve liked, others I haven’t. Obviously, this won’t be easy, but I intend to try my best and get the paladins into different situations, then see what ensues.  
> By the way, spoilers, probably. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.  
> Of course, that means I have to set some rules for myself. The first one is that everyone’s keeping their own names. Keeping track of everyone with different names will just be a pain in the end, so we’re making it simple. The second rule is that the major swaps will be between our 8 younger characters, specifically Shiro, Keith, Pidge, Lance, Hunk, Allura, Lotor, and Matt. This means that 2 characters won’t even show up until season 3-4 times, so that’ll be a problem for me in the future. The third and final rule is a bit muddled. I intend to keep appearances the same, but that’s hard if you have someone besides, say, Shiro getting Shiro’s scar in his place. So I’m sticking to birth characteristics such as hair color, eye color, etc. Anything gained through circumstance (such as a false arm, scar, glasses, dyed hair, or otherwise) will go to whoever’s in that situation. The only exception to this is species, as whoever’s taking Lotor’s place will be Galran and whoever’s taking Allura’s place will be Altean and all that complicated business, per say, so whatever happens will happen.  
> Of course, family presents another challenge for me. For example, will Allura have the same parents even if she isn’t Altean royalty? Especially considering the importance of characters like Zarkon, Sam Holt, King Alfor, and many others, this is a challenge. While I am flexible on this, I do intend to keep families together. That means Pidge and Matt will still be siblings even if they’re in entirely different scenarios, and everyone’s parents will stay the same. I don’t know if it will work perfectly, but that’s the adventure, isn’t it!  
> Finally, any ships are completely irrelevant. No Klance, no Shallura, no Lotura, no nothing. Since most of the romantic tendencies are usually indirect in Voltron, just pretend there’s nothing there. Then you won’t get any weird Matt-Lotor ships (is that a thing? I hope that’s not a thing.)  
> Anyways, enough talking about rules. Time to get swapping! Here’s my current plan (that took waaaaaay too long for me to decide on. It’s looking pretty good, finally.)
> 
> The Abducted Leader/Black Paladin: Matt  
> The Hot Headed Dropout/Red Paladin: Katie/Pidge  
> The Determined Genius/Green Paladin: Keith/Kath  
> The Confident Sharpshooter/Blue Paladin: Hunk  
> The Endearing Chef/Yellow Paladin: Lance  
> The Altean Ruler/Pink Paladin: Lotor  
> The Cunning Galra: Allura  
> The Lost Brother/Rebel: Shiro

**The Rise of Voltron (Part 1)**

A distant moon of Pluto, Kerberos, cold and empty besides one minuscule ship. Three people, heavily weighed down by equipment and safety gear, stand crouched near the ship, a device attached to the surface. The device pulled up a metal tube, in which is a sample of ice.

"Easy, son." Said one of the astronaut, older with a tuft of graying brown hair covering his face through his visor. "This ice is delicate."

"Amazing." Replied the second astronaut, dark-haired and muscular and wearing a pair of circular glasses. "Isn't this exciting, Matt?"

The third and final astronaut, Matt, laughed, trying to keep the mechanical tubing stable. "You guys get a little more excited about ice samples than I do."

"This is history in the making."The older scientist couldn't help but speak. "Not only have we traveled farther than any human ever has, this ice could hold microscopic clues about the existence of life outside Earth!" The younger scientist didn't take his focus off his ice sample, but he couldn't help but get excited. "Think of it, sir. We could use those clues to become the first people to meet aliens!"

"My life's work would be complete." The elder scientist sighed, preparing to transfer the ice sample into a holding container. A rumble. The very ground beneath the three astronauts began to quiver.

"What is that?" Asked the older scientist, turning. "Seismic activity?" As the youngest clutched the ice sample to his chest, the three turned to look for a cause of the quake.

"We should get back to the ship." Matt urged, but before any of the three of them could move, something appeared in the distance. Something huge and purple and foreboding. A foreign ship, descending upon them.

"What-" The oldest scientist ran in front of his two comrades, stating in horror at the thing in front of them. "What is that?"

As the thing drew closer, glowing, the he came to a realization. "It can't be!"

That realization also dawned on the pilot, as he grabbed his fellow astronaut's arm. "Run!" He yelled, pulling them away from the descending terror. "Come on, run!"

As the three took off running, the ice sample shattered to the ground. None of them cared. The purple glow from the ship grew brighter, stronger, a fierce sound ringing in their ears as the very ice around them was pulled towards the ship. The three ran, but soon their feet didn't touch ground and they were pulled in. The pilot let out one final scream of desperation.

And then, darkness.

"Emperor Alfor." A muddle, gruffling voice spoke, disrupting the pilot. "We were scouting X9Y as ordered when we discovered these primitive scientists."

Matt gasped awake, seeing his worst horror come to life. Now inside the ship, the pilot was surrounded by mechanics and a huge screen, on which was a foreboding silhouette. A strange purplish figure had his back turned to the pilot, but whoever it was couldn't be human.

The voice continued. "I don't think they know anything useful."

Whatever was on the screen responded in a voice so dark and furious that it terrified the pilot to his very core. "Take them back to the main fleet for interrogation." The pilot, remembering his partners, suddenly panicked once again, looking around desperately. And they were right next to him, slumped and unconscious, out of the pilot's reach. "The druids will find out what they know."

The pilot had to help his team - his friends. Despite the terror coursing through him, he spoke. "Please- we come from a peaceful planet! W-we mean you no harm!" The figure in front of him turned, and from the front he looked even less humanoid. The pilot continued. "We're unarmed!"

A sharp kick knocked the pilot down, coming from the guard behind him. As the pilot was dragged away, a voice came from seemingly nowhere.

"The brought in another one." There was a window, one he could barely see out of in his delirium. Rows of prison cells, rows of eyes peering out at the newest victims. The terror in the pilot's eyes was indescribable.

~

_One Year Later._

A small ship, descending on a planet.

"Galaxy Garrison flight log 5-11-14, begin decent to Kerberos for rescue mission."

The smug male voice of the pilot was followed by a sharp dive towards the planet's surface. The pilot himself was larger and bulkier, smirking and radiating confidence as they continued. His willowy engineer was not quite as happy, however. "Hunk, can you keep this thing straight?" He asked, a little strained.

Hunk laughed. "Re- _lax,_ Lance, I'm just gettin' a feel for the stick. I mean, it's not like I did-" Hunk's eyes glinted as he tightened on the steering wheel - "this!"

The ship turned sharply, causing Lance to groan.

Hunk laughed a bit. "Or this-" another turn- "or this-" and another "or-"

"Okay!" Lance cut him off, clutching his stomach. "Unless you want to wipe beef stroganoff off all the little nooks and crannies of this thing, you had better knock it off, man!"

Something flashed on the communications officer's screen, and she turned her chair around. A bit scrawny, but with thick dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and circular glasses. "We've picked up a distress beacon!" She called, stopping her two bickering team members.

"Alright." Hunk pressed a few buttons, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Look alive, team. Kath, track coordinates."

Kath turned back to her screen. "Copy."

While Kath and Hunk were staying (mostly) serious, the same could not be said for the engineer. Lance was still queasy. "Knock it off, Hunk! Please!"

Hunk turned around, still a bit snide. "Oh, this one's on you, buddy. We've got a hydrolic stabilizer out."

Lance jumped forward, grabbing a portable tablet to do his job, but he was still trying to hold down his lunch. Suddenly he lurched. "Oh, no."

"No-" Hunk huffed. "Fix now, puke later, buddy."

"I've lost contact!" Kath interrupted. "The shaking is interfering with our sensors!"

"Come on, Lance!" Hunk groaned.

Lance unbuckled his belt and ran over to the engine. "It's not responding." He said, stumbling a bit from the shaking of the ship.

As the three descended, the ship locked on to a point on the planet. Hunk seemed quite proud of this. "Oh - never mind, fellas and lady. Thar she blows. Preparing for approach on visual."

Kath, frustrated, spoke. "I don't think that's advisable with our current mechanical and-" Lance heaved behind her. "-gastrointestinal... issues..."

"Agreed." Lance said, leaning nervously over the engine.

"Stop worrying." Hunk rolled his eyes. "This baby can take it! Can't you, champ."

The ship lurched, and Kath looked at Hunk expectantly.

"Ah, see, she was, she was nodding." Hunk explained, turning away from Kath's fiery glare. "She was nodding. Kath, yell down to them and let them know their ride is here."

Kath, pushing her anger aside, unbuckled her seat belt to reach the communication device. "Attention, lunar vessel- GAH!"

She went flying because of another lurch from the ship, fallen onto the ship's floor.

"What are you doing?" Hunk cried, hands tightening on his controls. "Buckle up! And Lance, stop that shaking!"

"I'm trying-" Lance's voice quivered. "I- I- ohhh-"

And with that, Lance vomited into the engine. He shut it and ran back to his seat before anyone could notice what he did.

"Attention, lunar vessel." Kath tried to call down to the ship again. "The Galaxy Garrison rescue craft 1-Victor-6-3-Tango, coming in for landing and extraction... against crew recommendations..."

"No time for your mutinous comments now, Kath, they're going under and we're going in." Hunk leaned in, the ship growing faster.

Kath put the communication device back, then turned to the front screen. "Look out for that overhang!"

"No worries!" Hunk assured her. "My first year in flight school, you know what they called me? They called me the tailor, because of how I thread the needle."

The ship began to rotate as they approached two interconnected pillars, and both Kath and Lance started to scream.

"Come on, come on..." Hunk muttered under his breath. "Go through!"

And with that, the ship slammed against the ice, sending the screen into a mess.

"We lost a wing!" Lance screamed.

"Oh, man." Hunk sighed.

The ship crashed.

"Simulation failed." A cool, monotone female's voice came over the com as that same message flashed on the screen. All three shipmembers slumped down in their seats.

"Nice going, tailor." Kath muttered as the back doors opened.

A bulky man in an orange uniform with only one eye appeared at the exit, revealing the ship sitting snugly in the middle of a high-tech facility instead of on another planet. "Roll out, donkeys!"

As Hunk, Kath, and Lance exited the vehicle with heavy shoulders, their commander started his complaints. "Well, let's see if we can't use this complete failure as a lesson for the rest of you students. Can anyone point out the mistakes these so-called cadets made in this here simulator?"

A student raised his hand. "The engineer puked in the main gearbox!"

"Yes!" Iverson responded. "As anyone knows, vomit is  _not_ an approved lubricant for engine systems!"

Lance shrunk away from Iverson, still a little shaken.

"What else?" Iverson continued.

"The com specialist removed her safety harness." One said.

"The pilot crashed!" Yelled another.

"Correct." Iverson grumbled. "And worst of all, the whole time they're arguing with each other! Heck, if you're going to be this bad individually, you'd better at least be able to work as a team!"

None of the three could move.

Iverson began to speak in a proud, pompous tone. "The Galaxy Garrison exists to turn young cadets like you into the next generation of elite astro-explorers. But these kinds of mental mistakes are exactly what cost the lives of the men on the Kerberos mission!"

Kath suddenly clenched her fists. "That's not true, sir!"

Iverson turned to her, nostrils flaring. "What did you just say?"

Hunk grabbed Kath before she could continue. "Sorry, sir. I think she may have hit her head when she fell out of her chair-" Kath tried to respond, but was stopped by Hunk's hand. "But point taken!"

Iverson pointed his chin up, walking forwards towards Hunk, who leaned instinctively away from his teacher. "I don't need to remind you that the only reason you're here is that the best pilot in your class had a discipline issue and flunked out. _Don't_ follow in her footsteps."

Hunk bowed his head in shame as Iverson called for the next group.

~

"Lights out in five! Everyone back to their dorms, now!"

As the teachers began to get the Garrison students to settle down, two of them were noticeably not heading back to their dorms.

Lance was shaking his head, causing his headband's loose ends to flap around his shoulders. "We shouldn't be doing this." He whispered, eyes not leaving Iverson as he headed down the hall. 

"Relax!" Hunk patted his friend on the shoulder. "You heard the commander, we need to bond as a team! We're going to grab Kath, hit the town, loosen up, maybe meet some nice girls..."

"It's just..." Lance cut Hunk off, stammering. "I'm just saying this, right here, right now, on the record. This is a bad idea."

Hunk chuckled and shot off into the hallways, leaving Lance with nothing else to do but follow his partner through the darkening hallways.

As the two snuck under a window where teachers could see them, Hunk continued his barrage on Lance. "You know, for someone in a space exploration program, you don;t have any sense of adventure."

"All of your little 'adventures' usually end up with me in the principal's office." Lance shot back.

As a few security guards made their nightly rounds, Hunk and Lance had no choice but to hide beneath two trash cans. After one guard gave the "all clear," Hunk slid easily out of his bin and continued forward. Lance was not as lucky. His long legs got stuck in the lid and he had to shake them rapidly for it to fall off. Keeping up with Hunk took a lot of work.

The two turned the corner to Kath's room just as it opened. Hunk pushed Lance back behind the wall just as Kath left, a heavy backpack strapped on, and scurried off down the other way. Now this took a damper on Hunk's plan, but he was too busy being suspicious to care.

"Now where is she going?" He muttered, then grabbed Lance's hand and pulled him after their teammate.

Kath, to answer Hunk's question, was going to the roof, where she quickly set up some scanners and screens and set to work. Pulling a pair of headphones firmly around her head, she sighed at the final sense of relief. No more simulators, no more teachers, and no more Hunk and Lance-

A hand pulled up one of her headphones and whispered, "You come up here to rock out?"

Kath responded rather violently, her headphones being thrown off as she jumped about two feet up in their air. At the sight of her two teammates, Kath immediately began to stammer for an answer, but she wasn't fooling anyone.

"Uh, Hunk... nah," Kath stammered, "Just looking at the stars."

Hunk scanned Kath's setup over. A lot of high tech gear, certainly not for stargazing. "Where's you even get this stuff?" He asked. "It doesn't look like Garrison tech."

This Kath seemed rather proud of. "I built it."

Lance couldn't help but stare in awe reaching a finger out to touch one of the shiny, advanced looking buttons on her keyboard. "You built all of this?" He whispered in awe.

Kath didn't even look at Lance's hand, just slapped it out of the way before he could touch her equipment. "Stop it." Kath gave Hunk a smug smirk, clearly confident in her work. "With this thing, I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system."

"S'that right?" Hunk seemed mockingly impressed. "All the way to Kerberos?"

Kath furrowed her brow, avoiding Hunk's gaze. Lance, meanwhile, was using Kath's disconnectedness to investigate her tech further.

"Oh, come on, you go ballistic every time one of our instructors mention it. What's your deal?" Hunk asked, crossing his arms.

Lance had just brushed one of the scanners when Kath caught him once again. "Second warning, Lance!" She hissed, causing him to shrink away once again.

"Look, Kath." Hunk raised a single eyebrow. "If we're going to bond as a team, we can't have any secrets.  _Any."_

Kath hesitated, then relented. "Fine." She settled herself into place, preparing for the worst. "The world as you know it is about to change. The Kerberos mission wasn't lost because of some malfunction or crew mistake- STOP TOUCHING MY EQUIPMENT!"

Lance, who'd gone in for another sneaking look, fumbled away from Kath and her gear at her screams.

"As I was saying before I was so  _cruelly interrupted,"_ Kath continued, staring daggers at Lance, "So I've been scanning the system and picking up alien radio chatter."

This got Lance to stop admiring Kath's gear and bolt up. "Wait, what?" He asked. "Aliens? Like, big eyes, green skin, flying saucer aliens?"

"Okay." Hunk sighed. "So you're insane. Got it."

"I'm serious!" Kath insisted, grabbing something from her bag and showing it to the two. "They keep repeating one word: Voltron. And tonight it's going crazier than I have  _ever_ heard it."

"How crazy?" Hunk asked, undeniable intrigued.

Suddenly, the intercom crackled to the life. "Attention, students!" Said the voice in a sharp gravel. "This is not a drill. We are on lock-down. Security situation Zulu Niner. Repeat, all students are to remain in barracks until further notice."

"What's going on?" Lance asked nervously, pulling himself to his feet. Suddenly, he spotted something that Hunk and Lance had missed and pointed it out. "I-is that a meteor?" 

Indeed, there was something descending to earth, descending towards  _them._

"A very... very big meteor?" Lance continued, gulping.

Kath immediately pulled a pair of binoculars off the top of her bag and tried to get a closer look at the thing growing towards them. "It's a ship!" She exclaimed, before Hunk grabbed the binoculars from his hand and took a look himself.

"Holy crow!" Hunk gasped, as the ship grew closer. "I can't believe what I'm seeing, that's- that's not one of ours."

"No." Kath responded, a smile creeping across her face. "It's one of theirs."

Lance did a double take, looking back at Kath then back to the ship. "So wait, there really are aliens out their?"

The ship grew closer to the ground, skimmed ground in front of the Garrison, then crashed into a rockier area nearby. As soon as the spacecraft hit the ground, Garrison rovers lit up and started driving out towards it.

Kath, excitedly, crammed her gear into her bag and hopped to her feet. "We gotta see that ship." She insisted, darting off back towards the Garrison doors. Hunk couldn't help but follow, calling for Lance to follow him.

Lance huffed. "This is officially the worst team building exercise, ever."

The three snuck out around the building and took refuge atop a large boulder, the perfect vantage point to see the ship in its full capacity. Hunk snuck the binoculars from Kath's bag and got a good look at the spacecraft, which had been loaded onto a Garrison vehicle. Nearby they'd created a tented makeshift lab, complete with roaming guards and people in hazmat suits. 

"Whoa. What the heck is that thing?" Hunk asked, zooming in on the ship itself. He then got a good look at the tent, where a female officer was giving an intelligence report to a guard. "And who the heck is she?

"Hunk!" Kath hit the binoculars, causing the to zoom off the girl he'd been gazing dreamily at.

"Okay, right." Hunk sighed. "Alien ship."

He pulled the binoculars off, sighing. "It's no use. We'll never get past that many guards to get a look."

"Aw, man." Lance sighed mockingly. "Yeah, it looks like there's nothing left to do but head back to the barracks, right?" He stood, preparing to leave, but neither of his teammates followed him.

"Wait-" Before Lance could get too far, Kath stopped him with her words. "There's a security camera in there and I grabbed its feed. Look!"

She booted it up on her screen. Inside, several scientists in hazmat suits were buzzing around a young man with soft brown hair, streaked blonde, and a harsh pink scar across his nose. The man was struggling under medical restraints, dressed in nothing but rags. 

"Hey!" He was saying, pulling at his restraints. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Calm down, Matt." One of the scientists replied. "We just just need to keep you quarantined until we run some tests on-"

Matt didn't seem to care what they were saying. "You have to listen to me. They- they destroy worlds! Aliens are coming!"

He grunted, still trying to pull himself free.

Hunk pointed to the screen, obscuring the picture with his finger. "That's Matt Holt!" He exclaimed. "Pilot of the Kerberos mission. That guy's my hero!"

"Guess he's not dead in space after all." Lance added.

"But where's the rest of the crew?" Kath asked softly.

The talking began again, and all three leaned in to catch every word.

"Do you know how long you've been gone?" Asked the scientist.

Matt was hyperventilating, each breath a short gasp. "I don't know. Months? Years? Look, there's no time. Aliens are coming her for- for a weapon. They're probably on their way. They will  _destroy us!_ We have to find Voltron!"

"Voltron!" Kath gasped, looking at Hunk and Lance.

"Take a look at this." One of the scientist said. "It appears that his arm has been replaced by a cyborg prosthetic."

In fact he did. His right arm was completely grey metal with black joints, radiating a slightly purple glow.

The scientist sighed. "Put him under until we know what that thing can do."

"No!" Matt started struggling harder than ever, straining. "Don't put me under - no, no, there's no time!" 

He continued to yell, but Kath didn't listen. "They didn't ask about the rest of the crew." She muttered softly.

"What are they doing?" Hunk asked. "This guy's a legend, they're not even going to listen to him?"

"We have to get him out." Kath decided.

Lance stood suddenly, raising his hands. "Uh, I hate to be the voice of reason her - always - but weren't we just watching on TV because there was no way to get past the guards?"

Hunk shrugged. "That was before we were properly motivated." He put a hand to his chin, contemplating. "We just gotta think. Can we... can we tunnel in?"

"Maybe we can get some hazmat suits, and sneak in like med techs." Kath suggested.

"Or..." Lance suggested. "We dress up like cooks, head back to the dorms, sneak into the commissary, and get us a little late night snack."

Hunk shook his head. "What we need is a distraction."

Suddenly, an explosion went off in a line, a mere thirty feet away from the Garrison's tent. 

"Are those the aliens?" Lance gasped, fumbling to grab Hunk's broad shoulders. "Is that the aliens, are they here? They got here so quick!"

"No." Kath stood. "Those explosions were the distraction. For her."

As Garrison rovers headed out towards the direction of the explosion, a small red vehicle was headed towards the site of the ship's crash. Hunk grabbed the binoculars and got a closer look at the person riding it. A petite figure in a red jacket and a long brown ponytail, sneaking in to the tent.

"No way." Hunk muttered. "Oh, she is  _not_ going to beat us in there. She's always trying to one-up me!"

He threw the binoculars aside (which Kath narrowly caught) and took off towards where the red-clad figure had snuck in. 

"Who is it?" Lance asked.

"Katie!" Hunk called behind him.

"Who?" Kath asked.

"Are you sure?" Lance asked, heading after his friend.

Hunk scoffed. "Oh, I'd recognize that ponytail anywhere.

"Who's Katie?" Kath yelled, attempting to catch up.

The three took a sharp slide down the side of the boulder and headed towards the tent.

Inside the scientists were too busy with their work to notice the commotion outside. "These readings are off the charts!" Exclaimed one, just as the door slid open and a masked figure rushed in. In moments the figure had taken out every one of the suited scientists, leaving her open to go to the unconscious pilot.

She approached, pulled off her mask to reveal a young, terrified girl with amber eyes. Reaching forward, she turned Matt's face towards her as he groaned, stuck in his drug-induced stupor. The resemblance between the two was clear.

"Matt." She whispered, relief flushing into her voice. Quickly she pulled a knife out of its holster on her belt and sliced the restraints on the pilot. Pulling his arm around her shoulder, she took a single step towards the door and-

"Nope, nope, no no no no no, no you don't. I'm saving Matt." Hunk was closely followed by his two flighty teammates, but only he stepped through the entrance and approached the girl in red.

The girl seemed too shocked to be defensive. "Who... are you?" She asked.

Hunk grabbed Matt's other arm and pulled him around her shoulder. "Who am I? Uh, the name's  _Hunk."_

The girl in red simply blinked, confused.

"We were in the same class at the Garrison." Hunk continued.

"Really, are you, uh, an engineer?" The girl asked, barely noticing Hunk's condescending tone.

Hunk snorted. "No! I'm a pilot. We were like rivals, you know, Hunk and Katie, neck and neck-"

"Don't call me that!" Now the girl's confusion towards Hunk turned to anger. When Hunk looked confused at her outburst, she elaborated. "Nobody calls me Katie anymore. Only he does that - only Matt does that. Call me Pidge."

"Fine." Hunk sighed. "Hunk and  _Pidge,_ neck and neck."

"And I remember you now." Pidge scoffed. "You're that cargo pilot."

"Well, not anymore. I'm fighter class now, thanks to you washing out." Hunk mocked.

Pidge started forward with the pilot. "Well, congratulations."

The group headed out, but they didn't get far before the crowds of Garrison soldiers and rover started heading back. Lance and Kath got one last look at their oncoming opponents through Pidge's binoculars.

"Oh, boy, they're coming back and they do  _not_ look happy." Lance muttered to Kath. "We had better go."

Pidge led them back to her red vehicle, what seemed to be a rover-motorcycle hybrid with red paint to match her jacket.

"Do you mind if we catch a ride with you?" Lance asked, but Kath was already climbing on board. Permission didn't really matter at this point.

As soon as the group climbed on, Pidge's ride groaned at the weight of them all.

"Is this... thing going to be big enough for all of us?" Kath asked nervously, balancing between Matt's half-asleep body and Lance.

"Nope." Pidge muttered to herself, pressing a button on one of the handlebars.

The thing revved to life and took off into the air seconds before Garrison forced reached them. Matt nearly flew off before Hunk and Kath got hold of him.

"Why am I holding this guy?" Kath asked, but nobody gave her an answer.

"I mean, we did all fit." Lance noted, but his legs were so long that they were dragging against the ground and slowing them down. He didn't seem to notice.

Hunk looked behind them nervously. "Can't this thing go any faster?" He asked.

"It  _could,"_ Pidge told him, "if we threw off some  _nonessential weight."_

"Oh, right!" Hunk looked around for a second before realizing what Pidge's tone meant. "Okay, so that was an insult. I get it."

Pidge didn't pay him any mind. "Hey, tall man, dig your left leg in!" She called back.

Lance looked down at himself, realized what he was doing, and pushed his left foot into the earth. They swerved right violently, barely staying on, but the Garrison rovers weren't as lucky. A few of them went flying into obstacles. However, there were still several on their tails.

"Oh man!" Lance got a look back. "Mr. Harrison just totally took out Professor Montgomery! Don't worry, I think he's fine."

Pidge's vehicle began to climb a sharp hill as she continued to get Lance to allow them to turn as sharply and quickly as possible. Several other Garrison vehicles were taken out, but one final rover was still on their trail, not to mention they were headed towards-

"Hey, guys?" Lance asked. "Is that a cliff up ahead?"

Hunk started to cry out, then Kath, then Lance's screaming drowned the other two out, but Pidge simply smiled and accelerated. "Yup." She said to herself as they grew yards away... feet away... inches away...

And then they were free falling, nothing beneath them but air. The rover slammed to a halt as the screams faded, voices plummeting towards the earth below them.

But they weren't dead. Not yet.

"What are you doing, you're going to kill us all!" Hunk wailed as he clung to the side of Pidge's vehicle as it nose-dived.

Pidge didn't take her eyes off the ground below them, growing closer every second. "Just shut up and trust me!" He called back, tense and sharp. Slamming on the break and pulling the console upwards, she piloted them into an upward position moments before they crashed and drove away, headed into the unknown of the mountains.


	2. The Rise of Voltron (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team, after leaving the Garrison, must make a new discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have watched the first episode of Voltron so in-depth, man.

In the mountains lay a minuscule cabin, long forgotten by time. Parked outside was Pidge's cruiser, now abandoned by its riders.

Pidge herself was outside, approaching Matt cautiously as he gazed over the rocky expanse than lay before them. Pidge reached her hand up, hesitated, then set it gently on Matt's shoulder.

"It's good to have you back, brother." She whispered.

"It's good to be back, sister." He said, a smile flickering across his face.

Pidge wasn't smiling just yet, though. "So what happened out there?" She asked. "Where... where were you?"

Matt closed his eyes. "I wish I could tell you." He sighed. "My head is still pretty scrambled... I was on an... alien ship and somehow I escaped. It's all a blur. But how- how did you know to come find me when I crashed?"

Pidge was silent for a moment, then turned to the cabin. "You should come see this."

Inside the cabin, Pidge yanked a dusty sheet off a conspiracy board complete with a map of the land, star charts, images, and even strings connecting them all.

"Whoa." Matt whispered. "What have you been working on?"

Pidge shrugged. "I can't explain it, really. After losing my brother and getting booted from the Garrison..." She trailed off, shaking her head slightly. "I was kind of lost, and found myself drawn out to this place. It's like something... some energy was telling me to search."

Matt got a closer look at the board. "For what?"

"Well, I didn't really know at the time, until I stumbled across this area." Pidge raised her hand, pointing to a central point on the map, where all the strings lead to. "It's this outcropping of giant boulders with caves, covered in these ancient markings. Each tells a slightly different story about a blue lion, but they each leave clues about some... event. Something that happened last night." She turned to Matt. "Then you showed up."

Matt furrowed his brow, concidering this, then turn to Hunk, Kath, and Lance. "I should thank you all for getting me out." Reaching out his robotic arm, he locked eyes with one of the three. "...Hunk, right?"

"Yup." Hunk reached out to take Matt's hand, only hesitating seconds before taking the cold metal and shaking it.

Matt and Hunk shared a single look, then he turned to the other two.

Kath took the lead. "The nervous guy's Lance. He's usually like that. And I'm Kath." She took Matt's hand, unafraid, holding on to his hand for a little two long. "Did anyone from your crew make it out?"

"I'm not sure." Matt admitted, furrowing his brow. "I remember the mission, and... and being captured. After that it's all bits and pieces."

Lance stepped in front of Kath, cutting off their conversation. "Yeah, hate to interrupt, but back to the  _aliens._ Where are they now? Are they coming, are they coming for all of us? Like, where are they at this very moment?"

Matt let out a frustrated breath. "I can't really put it together... I remember the word Voltron." Anyone who wasn't already staring intensely at Matt was doing it now. "It's some kind of weapon they're looking for, but I don't know why. Whatever it is, I think we need to find it before they do."

"Well," Lance said, grabbing Kath's bag off the couch, "last night I was rummaging through Kath's stuff, and I found this picture-" He held up an image of a younger, shorter-haired Kath with an older man. "Look, it's his boyfriend."

He chuckled, but Kath was quick to grab the picture out of his hand. "Gimme that!" She huffed, shoving it safely back in her own pocket. "What were you doing in my stuff?"

"I- well, I was looking for a candy bar. But then I started reading her diary..." Lance pulled a small red book from his own pocket, which Kath quickly grabbed away as well. "And I noticed this repeating series of numbers that the aliens were looking for resembles a frauhauffer line."

"A frown..." Pidge asked, "who, now?"

Lance got a smirk on his face, a bit proud of knowing something Pidge didn't. "It's a series of numbers describing the emission spectrum of an element - except this element doesn't exist on earth. I thought it might be this... Voltron? And I think I can build a machine to look for it. Like a Voltron geiger counter."

"Lance, you long gassy genius!" Hunk praised.

Lance chuckled at this, a bit shy at the attention. "It's pretty fascinating, really. The wavelength looks like this." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket that showed a long, jumpy line.

"Gimme that!" Pidge grabbed the paper before anyone could look at it too long and put it up against a picture on her conspiracy board. The picture was of a mountain line - and that mountain line was identical to the one in Lance's wavelength.

~

Seeing the mountain line in real life was entirely different than looking at a picture. It was hot and dusty and miserable outside, but none of the five looked like they wanted to leave.

"Okay, I admit it." Hunk said. "This is super freaky."

"I'm getting a reading!" Lance was holding a small mechanical box - his geiger counter - which was attached to Kath's backpack. Kath was holding the radar, and as Lance's geiger counter beeper, the two forged ahead, leading Hunk, Matt, and Pidge behind them.

Down a hillside and through a ridge, the machine beeper louder and faster as they grew closer to a pile of huge boulders. Soon they spotted the cave nestled in the pile and raced in.

It was dark and dusty, but just like in Pidge's photographs, the cave wall was covered in dark carvings of a mighty lion. They all had the same design, surrounded by stick figures and symbols.

"What are these?" Matt asked, running his hand over one of the carvings on the ceiling. The carving was of the lion's head, and it seemed to be roaring at him.

"These are the lion carvings I was telling you about." Pidge explained, brushing her fingers along the outline of the lion's tail, tracing it to its end.

Hunk could feel himself being pulled to the carvings on the wall. Some unknown yearning inside of him wanted to know more, to see more, to find what the carvings were leading to. Brushing the dust of the carving of the lion making a great leap, he looked closer. What was causing this strange attraction?

As his fingers touched the cool stone of the cave wall, the carving's lines lit into blue light. "Whoa!" Hunk cried out, stumbling away, but soon the surrounding carvings lit up as well, and then more and more, and then suddenly the entire cave was humming with a soft blue light. 

"They've never done that before." Pidge whispered.

The carving's light spread to the ground beneath them, forming a circle, and as the rocks under their feet were enveloped in its blue light they broke. Suddenly the very ground they stood on was shattered and they were plummeting, falling down a dark hole with water splashing around them. Kath was clinging to Lance for dear life, Pidge trying to find her brother but finding only darkness. 

And then the tunnel they'd fallen through opened up into a larger cavern and all 5 landed in a shallow pool. It wasn't a graceful landing, but as his teammates groaned in pain, Hunk was pulling himself to his feet. That longing inside of him, it was stronger than ever. It had to be here. Whatever he was destined to find, it would be here.

And then the source of the light in the cavern became clear. Because protected beneath a circular force field of blue energy sat a mechanical blue lion, proudly before them. Its yellow eyes seemed to stare right into Hunk's core.

As each stood, they couldn't help but stare in wonder at the blue beast before them.

"Is this it?" Kath asked, clinging to her backpack straps. "Is this the Voltron?"

"It-" Matt hesitated, unsure of himself. "It must be."

Pidge stepped forward, unable to take her eyes off the thing before her. "This is the thing that's been causing all of this crazy energy out here." She whispered, then took off running towards it. She kept staring as she rushed forward. "Looks like there's a force field around it." She called backwards as she continued on.

The others followed her, Hunk leading the way. Or, he would have been, if he hadn't been zig-zagging and ducking around as he walked. "Does anyone else get the feeling that this thing is staring at them?" He asked, squinting at the lion.

"Um," Matt responded, "no. Not really."

"Yeah." Hunk continued, bobbing directly in front of Kath, who narrowly avoided running into him. "The eyes are totally following me."

As Pidge reached the outer protection of the blue lion, Hunk quickened his pace to catch up with her. Pidge lifted her hands gently, pressing them one by one against the force field surrounding the great lion before them. With each touch, she could feel the energy pulsing beneath her fingertips. "I wonder how we get through this." She whispered.

"Maybe you just have to knock." Hunk suggested, reaching the force field. He lifted his hand, made it a fist, and struck the lion's force field twice, making it vibrate and glow beneath his touch. As soon as he pulled away from his second knock, the force field flashed and faded away, the blue lion's eyes flashing as its surroundings disappeared. The cave burst into light once again, glowing blue carvings appearing from nowhere beneath the lion's mighty paws.

The team stumbled back in alarm, but suddenly the vision of the shining cave vanished. It was replaced with a blue sky, the backdrop to the flight of five mighty robotic felines. There was the blue lion... and a red lion... and a black lion and a yellow lion and a green lion, all five flying in perfect harmony. As they hit formation, they merged together into a gigantic humanoid figure. The figure was a robot, much like the lions, but it was so powerful that even the sight of it sent shivers down their spines. As it swung its sword, their vision returned to the cave.

"Whoa." All 5 said at once.

A silence followed before Hunk looked back at Kath and Lance and whispered, "Did everyone just see that?"

"Voltron is a robot!" Lance screamed, the first to jump out of his daze. "Voltron is a huge- huge, awesome, robot!"

"And this thing is only one part of it!" Kath continued, in awe. "I wonder where the rest of them are?"

Matt was a little less excited. "So this is what they're looking for." He murmured, hands tightening into fists.

"Incredible." Pidge said softly, unable to express her surplus of emotions at the moment.

And then the lion moved. Stood up, leaned its valiant head down, and opened its mouth. Kath screamed once again and jumped back onto Lance's back, and even Matt put a protecting hand in front of Pidge, but Hunk accepted the calling of the mighty beast. He even stepped forward as part of the thing's jaw unattached and dropped to the floor of the cave, giving them a ramp in.

Hunk smiled wildly as he took off into the lion's mouth, desperate to explore even more of this beautiful creature. Pidge pushed past her brother to follow him in, which caused Matt to join them, and Kath and Lance reluctantly followed the rest of their team in.

The lion's head was less of a brain and more of a pilot's station, complete with a chair and control panel that looked both incredibly complicated and masterly designed. Hunk quickly took his place on the pilot's chair, feeling around at the levers as his teammates joined him in the chamber. As his fingers wrapped around the handles, the screens lit up around him, showing holograms of even more buttons and words. Hunk leaned forward and pressed a random button. With that touch, the blank screen in front of them pixelated and revealed the view of the outside cave.

"All right, very nice!" Hunk said, adjusting himself into comfort in his new chair.

Lance grabbed Hunk's arm before he could press any more buttons. "Okay, guys, I feel the need to point this out, real quick, just so that we're all aware. We are in some kind of futuristic alien cat head right now."

Hunk suddenly saw the lion glow into life around him. Well, no, he didn't really  _see_ anything. But he felt each part of the lion's body as if it were his own, each mighty part accepting him.

"Did you guys just hear that?" He asked, nearly jumping out of his chair.

He received only blank stares in return.

"Hear what?" Pidge asked.

"I- I think it's talking to me. The lion." Hunk shook his head. His teammates just wouldn't understand. Leaning forward, he pressed a few more buttons, and the lion pulled its head off the ground and jumped back into a mighty stance, roaring. His teammates were clearly unnerved behind him, but Hunk couldn't care less. "Okay, got it!" He said, eyes glimmering mischievously. "Now let's try this!"

He pushed the two levers forward, and the lion shot straight through the stone wall of the mountain and out into open air. As he grew closer to the ground, soaring, the lion's paws let out jets of energy, and he rocketed back into the air once again. Around him, his teammates were clinging onto the chair and each other for dear life, trying desperately not to go flying around the chamber, but all Hunk could focus on was continuing his flight.

Pidge was the only one able to get out coherent words. "You are- the worst- pilot- ever!" She screamed as they rocketed in circles around the mountainsides.

A good distance away, Iverson and a Garrison assistant were watching the ruckus through a pair of binoculars.

"What in Sam hill is that?" Iverson asked.

The assistant lowered the binoculars. "It appears to be a flying blue lion, sir?"

Iverson sighed.

The lion landed on the ground and started gallivanting around an open area, heading for some unknown locations. Hunk couldn't help but whoop as they went faster and faster. "Isn't this awesome?" He cried, overjoyed.

Lance didn't think it was awesome. Face turning green, all he could say was "Make it stop. Make it stop!"

"I'm not making it do anything!" Hunk cheered. "It's like it's on autopilot!"

The lion took of into the sky once again, rocketing into space.

"Where are you going?" Pidge screamed, nearly flying backwards into the wall if not for her hold on Kath.

Hunk wasn't too phased. "I just told you, it's on autopilot! It says there's an alien ship approaching earth, though. I think we're supposed to stop it!"

"What did it say, exactly?" Kath huffed.

"Well, it didn't exactly say  _words,_ more like feeding ideas into my brain." Hunk explained. "Kind of."

"If this thing is the weapon they're coming for," Lance asked, "why not just give it to them? Maybe they'll leave us alone. Sorry lion, nothing personal."

Matt shook his head. "You don't understand. These monsters spread like a plague throughout the galaxy, destroying anything and everything in their path. There will be no bargaining with them. They won't stop until everything in the universe is dead."

Lance gave little response, just stared awkwardly at Matt. "Oh. Never mind them."

A galactic cruiser was coming up fast, not as big as the one that had taken Matt's ship but still large and very scary. The huge lion was dwarfed in its size.

"Holy crow." Lance gasped. "Is that really an alien ship?"

"They found me." Matt whispered, grabbing Pidge's hand for comfort.

And then there were lasers. Lots of lasers being shot right at the blue lion.

"We've got to get it out of here!" Kath screamed, clinging to the chair's back rest.

"Hold on!" Hunk responded, grabbing his controls. The lion swerved out of the way, narrowly avoiding fire as it bobbed and weaved through space.

Hunk was trying desperately to keep control of himself. "Alright, I think I know what to do!"

"Well, be careful! This isn't a simulator!" Kath insisted.

"That's good." Hunk said, voice trembling. "'Cause I always wreck the simulator!"

Hunk's hands danced across the board of buttons and levers before him, finally deciding on a central lever and pushing it forward. With his push, a beam of energy shot back at the enemy ship, causing huge explosions on its side.

"Let's try this." Hunk said excitedly, pulling another lever.

With that pull, the lion's claws burst out of its paws, and as they zoomed towards the hull of the enemy spacecraft it raked long marks into the sides, causing the ship to shudder and explode even more.

With that final hit, the blue lion took off in the opposite direction of earth, leaving their damaged foe behind them.

"Nice job, Hunk!" Matt couldn't help but cheer. 

Kath and Lance added in their own agreements, which caused Hunk to smile even more, but he didn't take himself out of focus for even a second. "Let's lead these guys away from our planet, shall we?"

Inside the ship, the commander was yelling orders to his team. As soon as his soldiers ran out of sight, he pulled up a screen. "Lord Alfor!" He said furiously. "The escaped prisoner and his people found the lion. It escaped us and is heading out of this system."

Alfor responded with a slow, angry drawl. "Follow that lion and alert all ships in the area to intercept. Capturing that lion is your first and  _only_ priority."

"Yes, your majesty." The commander replied. He turned to one of his pilots. "Full power after the lion!"

The ship left earth, following the blue lion at a breathtaking speed.

"Oh, no!" Lance cried.

Kath was shaking slightly. "Hunk, they're gaining on us!"

"This is weird." Hunk admitted, pushing his controls to their very limits. "They really aren't trying to shoot us, they're just chasing!"

"Okay, now we think having aliens follow us is good?" Lance replied. "I am not on board with this new direction, guys!"

Pidge scanned their surroundings. "Where are we, even?"

"The edge of the solar system." Matt responded numbly. "There's Kerberos."

As they passed the giant blue moon, Kath clasped her hands together. "It takes months for out ships to get out this far- but we got out her in five seconds!"

The space before them suddenly burst into light, a large ornamental circle forming a portal into darkness in front of them. It seemed to be sucking them in, pulling them towards their destinies.

"What is  _that?"_ Lance exclaimed.

Hunk shook his head. "This might sound crazy, but I think the lion wants us to go through there."

Kath looked uncertainly over at him. "But... but where does it go?" She asked.

"I don't know." Hunk admitted, turning back to the others. They weren't in just yet, but the alien ship behind them was gaining. "Matt, you're the senior officer here. What should we do?"

Matt looked at the enemy behind them, then the portal inviting them in. "Whatever we're doing, the lion knows more than we do. I say we trust it. But we're a team now. We should decide together."

He looked at Pidge, who nodded and looked at Lance. Lance bit his lip and shrugged, then looked over at Kath, who placed a reassuring hand on Hunk's shoulder. The team fully in agreement Hunk finally turned back to the front. "All right." He said. "I guess we're all skipping class tomorrow."

And with that, the lion entered the wormhole and it shimmer into nothingness, closing just before the enemy spacecraft could follow them.


	3. The Rise of Voltron (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now armed with the Blue Lion, it's time to head to Altea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a damn while, hasn't it? I'm back on my bullshit.

Passing through the wormhole was a bit less magical and a lot more nauseating for the team. Everything around them vibrated violently as they braced, holding their breaths until finally,  _finally,_ they were out. 

"Whoa." Hunk whispered, looking back at the team. "Look at-"

And then Lance hurled. The rest of the team looked away, but the sound made every one of them cringe.

"S-sorry." Lance slurred, grabbing Hunk's arm to keep his balance, then went down once again.

Kath adjusted her glasses, grimacing. "I'm just surprised it took this long."

Matt shook his head, trying to get Lance out of his mind. He turned to the space around them. "I don't recognize any of these constellations." He admitted. "We must be a long,  _long_ way from earth."

The space around them was vast, with nothing in sight besides a huge planet. It was similar to earth besides it differing land forms. Wispy, unearthly clouds hovered above it, shrouding the thing in mystery.

"The lion seems to want to go to that planet." Hunk said, as the lion's engines suddenly revved and burst forward. "I think... it's going home."

The blue lion dove in with surprising accuracy, clearly knowing where it was headed. It never turned, never circled the huge planet, just plummeted down in a precise spot.

Lance wouldn't stop clinging to Hunk. "Is it just me, or is anyone else having second thoughts about flying through a  _mysterious_ wormhole? Why are we listening to a robot lion, anyways?"

"It got us away from that alien warship!" Hunk countered defensively.

"I don't know if you noticed," Pidge countered, eyes not leaving the planet in front of them as it rapidly grew closer, "but we're  _in_ an alien warship." 

Hunk smirked. "Oh, are you scared?"

"With you at the helm?" Pidge responded. "Terrified."

"All right, knock it off!" Matt put his non-robotic hand out, ending the argument. "Look, nobody's happy to be in this situation, but we're here now. If we want to get through this, we have to do it together."

Kath pursed her lips. "So what do we do?"

"First we find out where we're headed." Matt turned to the pilot. "Hunk?"

Hunk looked back at their descent, then at Matt once again. "I don't... I don't know." At the confused looks of his teammates, he put his hands up defensively. "The lion's just not talking to me anymore. Wait, wait wait wait!" He put up one hand, gazing around the cockpit. "I hear something..."

"I'm hearing it too." Pidge admitted as the noise became louder- a quiet hiss.

"It's like-" Lance's eyes jumped around, looking at ever nook and cranny of their chamber. "It's a high pitched squeal and-"

Hunk let it rip. Kath, Pidge, and Matt grabbed their faces, and Lance buried his face into his jacket collar. "Come on, Hunk!"

"But seriously." Hunk smirked as his teammates recovered from his filth. "There's a castle up ahead."

And their was. Huge, white, with blue accents and a technologically driven exterior. The entire think looked like it was millions of years ahead of the earth's current technological state. The five pillars gleamed with power, and the bridge in front of it was inviting. Still, it looked very non-human, very foreign, and oddly enough... very empty.

But that emptiness changed when the Blue Lion got near. The castle lit up bright blue, glowing warmly in welcome of their ride. The Blue Lion even responded, its eyes lighting up yellow as it descended onto the castle's entryway. Their land was smooth despite the pillars, one that the lion had likely taken before. For a second, none of the team could decide what to do. Only Matt seemed ready to respond.

"Keep your guard up." He muttered, not taking his eyes off the castle entrance. It made sense for him to be wary - but the others were too fascinated to share his fear.

"Something wrong?" Kath muttered, stating up at the pillars in wonder. Each part was meticulous, made for beauty and practicality and perhaps something... more? Was this just as castle? With all her years of technological experience, even this stumped her.

Matt leaned back, placing his hand on Pidge's shoulder gently. "My crew was captured by aliens once. I'm not going to let it happen again."

~

It took a while to funnel out into the courtyard, but they couldn't just sit in the lion and hide forever. Matt took the lead, but Kath was soon to rush in front of him, reexamining the blue lion and the castle and the-

Suddenly the lion behind them moved, closing the mouth they'd come out of and rising up. Kath screamed, but it was Lance who panicked first. "No, no I  _knew_ it was gonna eat us!"

The blue beast rose to its feet and roared, sending a wave of sound to the entrance. The lion's roar seemed to activate it, and it glowed blue and slid open flawlessly. Lance was in no place to be fascinated by the work, but Kath had to respect the work here. How could something so big move so easily - and by the cry of a robot?

But for Kath, and the rest of the team, what lay beyond the door was even more of a mystery. It was long, and dark, and Lance's screams echoed inside for miles. And once the screaming stopped - it was dead silent, even from the Blue Lion behind them.

"Oh- oh, the door is... open." Hunk groaned, not moving from behind Matt even though he was a good foot taller than him. "Guess we were wrong about the lion..."

Where else was there to go but in? Matt took the back this time, his mechanical fist clenched. Lance, surprisingly, made the first sound, calling out a quiet "Hello?" that echoed through the halls. The rest of the team looked at him angrily, but all he could respond with was a worried shrug.

Their was a large staircase approaching, and Kath could see something on the ceiling, something that looked mechanical. She was first to step onto the one, and with that, the very mechanism she'd been trying to see took on the same blue glow as the doorway earlier, shining around them and dousing the team in pale light. There was a quiet "Whoa" from Hunk and Kath, and a sharp gasp from Matt as a voice said "Hold for identity scan."

"What?" Kath whispered, looking around frantically as a blue flash traveled up each of the team's bodies, one by one.

Matt couldn't take much more of this alien tech, trying to get away from the examination but being unable to avoid it. "Why are we here?" He asked. "What do you want from us?"

He got no answer - instead, the mechanism on the ceiling clicked in approval and the lights on the walls glowed with sky-colored fire, illuminating their path. 

"I... guess we're going  _that_ way." Kath shrugged.

The lights led them on, on and on and through twisted hallways and balconies and down stairs and up them and everything in between and finally, _finally_ into a large room with 8 large circles in the floor, almost like there was something meant to be placed in them. The lights were almost painfully bright at this point, but it didn't matter - because there had to be something here for them. Finally, some answers.

"Where are we?" Hunk asked Kath quietly, but she ignored him to stare in wonder and confusion at a console sat in the middle. 

Kath put out her hand to touch one of the strange, smooth buttons, but hesitated. "It's some kind of... control room." Her hand barely touched the pad, but clearly that was enough, as it glowed and released something behind them.

The circles - one of them had risen up into a slender pod and inside was definitely more than just the mist that had released around them. A figure, something with long hair and very, very tall. A second one rose on their left, this one similar but with a smaller frame. 

"Are these guys- are these guys dead?" Lance asked in a haunted whisper.

This time, they got an answer. The front of the pod shimmered away, leaving nothing but the person in there. His eyes were closed - and then they weren't. With bright blue eyes, dark skin, and long, white hair, he was almost human, with the exception of the blue markings under his eyes. "Father!" He cried, leaning forward with his arm outstretched, but his legs gave way and Hunk barely had time to catch him. Pulling himself up in Hunk's arms, he blinked. Hunk was bright red, and much to the rest of the team's dismay, a smile was spreading across his face.

"Hello." Hunk said.

The alien boy didn't seem to notice. "Who... who are you?" He asked softly. "Where am I?"

"I'm Hunk." Kath put her head in her hands as Hunk continued. "And you're right here in my arms."

The alien boy's brow creased. "Your ears... they're... hideous." He pulled himself away in disgust, still wobbling on his own legs. "What's wrong with them?"

Hunk's face went dark. "Hey, nothing's wrong with them! They heard exactly what you said about them- whoa!"

The alien boy had grabbed Hunk by the ear before any of the team could react and had him on the ground, writhing in pain. "Who are you?" He demanded. "Where is King Zarkon and - what are you doing in my castle?"

"A giant blue lion brought us here!" Hunk winced, his eyes watering. "That's all we know!"

The alien boy released his grip, the words about the blue lion bringing him to a halt. "How do  _you_ have the blue lion? What has happened to its paladin?" He demanded. 

The rest of the team was stunned silent.

The alien boy's hands shot away from Hunk, as if he had the plague. Suddenly he was a lot less confident. Voice trembling, he spoke. "What are you all doing here? Unless... how long has it been?"

Matt reached out a hand - the non-alien hand, as a peace offering. "We don't know what you're talking about... ah, why don't you tell us who you are?" He asked gently, despite his urge to run. This was another hostile alien he didn't want to be around... but... "Maybe we can help."

"I am Prince Lotor, of planet Altea." The alien boy finally admitted, dropping her guard ever-so-slightly. "I've got to find out where we are, and how long we've been asleep!"

He put his hands down on the central console and within moments a holographic screen was up and Lotor was typing. "Okay!" Kath said, still confused. "So that's how that works... apparently."

As Lotor continued, the other pod shimmered to reveal a tall ginger man with a mustache and blue markings to match Lotor's. Immediately he was a lot more on guard than the Prince, gasping awake and crying "enemy combatants!" before any of them had time to react. He dove towards Hunk, who stepped out of the way easily, and spun around shakily.

"Oh, Quiznak!" He cried. "You're lucky I have a case of the old sleep-chamber knees, otherwise I'd-" and with this he began extravagantly showing off everything he was saying "grab your head like this... wrap you up like so... and 1, 2, 3, sleepytime."

"Well, before that, hwah," Hunk began his own miming, "hyah, yah, like that."

"Oh really?" The man replied. "How could you do that when I've already come at you like this? Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"This is... amazing." Lance and Kath were still standing around Lotor as he typed. Lotor didn't seem to care.

He stood suddenly, looking away from the console. "It can't be." He whispered, turning to the ginger who'd been with him. 

"What is it?" The man asked, ignoring Hunk in an instant.

"Coran." Lotor whispered. "We've been asleep... for ten thousand years!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And also, I just can't change Coran. I considered making Haggar and Coran switch as well (it was my plan for the longest time) but in the end, nobody can be as perfect as Coran is as himself. So that's the only thing we're leaving unswapped for this thing.  
> Second off, my plans have changed. Watching the entire first episode so much has broken me and I just can't go on after this. And I'm not even halfway through the first episode. Basically what I'm saying is I'm gonna do the pilot, then fill in with more iconic scenes - the gender reveal, the galran prince(ess), the discovery of the missing brother, etc. Or at least I'll try before giving up for 3 months again. Wish me luck!


	4. The Rise of Voltron (Part 4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team discovers the truth about Altea while the Galra grow stronger by the minute

Lotor's mind was still hazy from his time in the sleep chamber, but he could remember his last moments all too well. Huge enemy warships firing at the castle, Altean warriors yelling dying in front of their eyes, the world around them burning. Only he and Coran and his father were safe in the castle, but even that wouldn't last long. A screen buzzed into life in front of them, and the face of a burly, grizzled Galran man with glowing blue eyes appeared in front of them.

"Alfor." His father hissed behind him, his pale hair messy and a slash on his cheek from a spy that had attacked only hours before.

Alfor didn't react to Lotor's father's words. "Your fleet has been destroyed, Zarkon. I will arrive shortly to claim Voltron."

And just like that, the screen fizzed away again, only to reveal a ship hitting the Altean castle with another mighty blast. Coran began typing furiously on a control board as Lotor turned to his father. "Father, we must form Voltron and fight before it's too late!"

Zarkon only grimaced. "It is already too late, my son. We must send the lions away. We cannot risk them falling into Alfor's hands!"

"We can't give up hope!" Lotor begged, grabbing his father's arm.

Zarkon simply shook his head. "I'm sorry, my son. If all goes well, I will see you again soon."

"What?" Lotor asked, just as Zarkon's hand glowed and pressed against his cheek. He collapsed, arm reaching out for Zarkon, who only smiled sadly. And then the world for Lotor went dark.

Lotor flashed back to reality, hands clinging to his pale hair. "Planet Altea." He said softly, stuttering over his words. "And all of the - all of the planets in our solar system have been destroyed."

Coran gasped next to her.

"Coran, Father is gone." Lotor whispered. "As is our entire civilization. Because of... because of... Alfor."

At that name, Matt tripped backwards, nearly bowling over into Lance. That name brought back memories... the face, the pain, the deep voice, those piercing, furious eyes... "Alfor?" He asked, turning to Lotor.

"He was the king of Galra." Lotor said gravely. "A vile creature, and enemy to all free people!"

"I remember him." Matt jumped in, one hand on his metallic arm. "I was his prisoner."

Lotor whipped around. "He's still alive? That is impossible-"

"I can't explain it." Matt insisted. "But it's true. He's searching for a superweapon called Voltron."

Lotor nodded, despite his disbelief. "If you are telling the truth... he's searching for it because he knows it is the only thing that can defeat him. And that is exactly why I - we, must find it before he does."

~

Inside a dark, foreboding place, glowing crystals surrounded a hooded figure, whose hands were raised as if controlling the magic around her. Though her face was shrouded in a cloak, the pink markings, thin face, and pale hair beneath it were haunting. Whatever this ritual got her, the hooded woman seemed grim, and left her room quickly to meet the man who had attacked Altea" so long ago.

"The blue lion has returned." The woman told Alfor, who refused to look down at her. "And I now feel a resurgence of Altean energy."

"Zarkon's son lives then, Haggar." Alfor muttered, still looking into the cosmos. "How?"

The woman shook her head. "I know not. But it is time to reclaim what is rightfully ours."

"Yes." Alfor graveled. "I shall wipe that foul race from the universe forever and take back Voltron. Contact my commanders."

Haggar immediately raced off, connecting with another galran soldier. This one had a distinguishable metal arm, attached only by glowing magic.

"Emperor Alfor requests your fleets." The metal-armed Galra was told. "The princess of Altea is alive and hiding in your sector. It is believed that she alone holds the whereabouts of the remaining Voltron lions. Your battle fleet is closest to her location. Retrieve her and the lions. With them all, the Galra nation will be unstoppable.

"I fight for the empire." Sendak replied, his non-metal arm over his heart. "I conquer in the name of Galra. No foe has ever stood in my way, and none ever will. Vrepit Sa."

Immediately, Sendak turned to his soldiers. "Set a course for Aeris."

~

"Prince, you must eat." Coran asked. "It's been ten thousand years!"

Lotor ignored him, testing out monitors and controls furiously while the five humans watched him worriedly. "I'm not hungry."

"Man, ten thousand years." Hunk pondered. "That's like a thousand plus ten."

" _Times_ ten." Pidge corrected, seeming almost offended by his answer.

Hunk scowled. "Whatever, dropout."

"Well, I don't know about the prince guy," Lance said, holding his stomach, "but I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm _starving_."

"Yeah, but you've thrown up, like, five times." Kath added.

"You're right." Lance nodded, and took some of the strange Altean food near them. He seemed repulsed at first, but he didn't stop eating it, either. Perhaps it was an acquired taste.

Matt was gazing at the room around them. "I can't believe your civilization created such advance technology ten thousand years ago! It must have been an incredible place."

Coran nodded, but he didn't seem anywhere near as happy thinking about the past of Altea. "Yes, it was. And now it is gone, and we're the last Alteans alive."

Lotor flinched at the sound of his, placing one hand to his heart. Coran put a hand on his shoulder, and Lotor's grief swelled. He took Coran into a hug. Just as all hope seemed to be lost for Lotor, he heard the tiniest of squeaks and pulled away sharply. Looking into his sleep pod, Lotor found four mice, covered in strange markings that clearly made them different from any earth creature.

Tenderly, Lotor scooped all four up. "Perhaps we're not the last Alteans after all." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In here, Haggar is still called Haggar. But keep in mind that wasn't the original Haggar's name, either. I wonder who I might have swapped her with?

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to take a while, but the first episode especially is VERY long, so I'll try to get a this out in parts. I hope you enjoyed this piece!


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